1. Field
The present invention relates generally to methods of strengthening a glass substrate, and more particularly to methods of strengthening an edge of a display panel.
2. Technical Background
Both current and future display devices that are exposed to everyday handling abuses, particularly hand held devices such as cellular phones and tablet computing devices, must be resistant to damage. At the same time, manufacturers are increasingly designing thinner devices, reducing bulk both by reducing the supporting shell enclosing the device, and by producing thinner display panels by reducing the thickness of the glass substrates comprising the panels. As a result, the display device itself becomes more flexible. In some applications the display panel may be intentionally and permanently bent during manufacture into predetermined, non-planar shapes. Accordingly, display manufacturers are becoming ever more concerned about both the surface and edge strength of the display panels and the potential for failure that can originate from both surface and edge flaws when the panel is exposed to applied stresses.